Why The Datacolor SpyderPro Is Something Every Serious Photographer Should Consider Buying

Why The Datacolor SpyderPro Is Something Every Serious Photographer Should Consider Buying

It seems hardly any time has passed since I reviewed the Spyder X2 Ultra. The SpyderPro has now superseded that, an update extending its predecessor's functionality and ease of use.

Why Use a Calibration Tool?

Just because your editing monitor shows colors that look good to you doesn’t mean your audience sees them the same way. The Datacolor SpyderPro calibrates your display, ensuring you see true-to-life colors and tones that provide a reliable foundation for your editing work.

It’s Easy to Calibrate Your Screens

Some things in photography are needlessly complicated. For example, if I want to set my custom modes on my camera, with a couple of clicks, I can assign all the current settings to any of the four available to me. It’s simple. I was using a client’s camera recently, and I couldn’t do that but needed to enter all the settings separately in a different menu. What a faff that was. Similarly, on my camera, if a menu item is greyed out, it tells you why. Not so on some other brands, where you must search the Internet or ask a friend to find out why you cannot access certain features.

Historically, I found screen calibration tools, called colorimeters, pointlessly complex too. A photographer once needed background knowledge to set up the calibration software. I was fortunate because I had that knowledge, but not everyone I knew did.

Fortunately, Datacolor, the manufacturer of SpyderPro, has made things more accessible over the last few iterations of their calibration tool. Now, simple and accurate adjustments of your screen’s or screens’ color and brightness are achieved using an easy-to-use program and a simple lens-based calibration device.

What Do You Get for Your Money?

The SpyderPro arrives in a strong, neat box. Inside is an information card explaining where to download the software. Hidden below is the Spyder Pro device, a USB-C to USB-3 adaptor if your computer does not have a USB-C port, and the serial number required to get the software activation code.

The last couple of Spyder releases have been lens-based, which gives far greater accuracy. The device itself is of a solid white plastic construction. It comes in two parts connected by the USB wire, with the lid section protecting the lens and acting as a counterbalance for the main unit when in use.

Installing the App

The SpyderPro software installs just like any other, with the usual license agreement and other mundane screens one faces when adding new apps to your computer. On opening it, you must enter the serial number into the software. This process will give you an activation code that is in turn needed to activate the software. You’ll find all that in the Help menu. Make sure that you retain the serial number and activation code as they will be needed if you reinstall the software.

After the “Activation Successful” message, you can calibrate your screens.

Calibration Process

The SpdyerPro can now calibrate a wider range of screens than before. Besides standard LED backlit screens, it can also manage CCFL and Green/Blue backlit screens, as well as wide gamut LED screens, Apple XDR, high-brightness displays, OLED, and Mini-LED.

It’s important to reset your display’s controls to the default settings if possible. Also, disable screen functions such as HDR, auto-brightness, and other features that automatically change the look of your display. Furthermore, let the screen warm up for 30 minutes before calibrating.

There are two options available from the welcome screen. The first is Calibrate My Display(s), which does exactly that, and the other is the soft proofing option called Device Preview™ Beta. The latter allows you to preview how images would look on different devices or printers using its feature. That function also gives warnings to show if an image is out of gamut—in other words, whether the color is outside the capabilities of the printer or device.

However, we usually start with the Calibrate My Display(s) option. On clicking Next, a simple set of instructions follows that involves hanging the calibration device over the screen and following the instructions.

If your screen can be tilted backward, this will help the device sit against it. On an older screen that didn’t tilt, I used a piece of weak elastic to hold the tool in place. But most screens these days are tiltable.

Once underway, the screen will flash a wide range of colors and tones, reminiscent of loading a program onto a Sinclair Spectrum. Ultimately, the software will create a new profile for the screen. The software automatically identifies the names of my screens.

A secondary app, called Spyder Utility, runs permanently in the background and loads the profile to the screen each time you start the program running. It works slightly differently on PCs than on Macs, but with both, it offers easy access to the SpyderPro's functions.

Another feature in the software is called Studio Match. It harmonizes the multiple displays in a studio, even if attached to other computers.

There is also a Display Analysis tool. This measures the gamut, tone response, screen uniformity, brightness and contrast, white point at different On-Screen Display (OSD) settings, and color accuracy.

The process varies a bit depending on the screen and what controls you have available, but it’s a straightforward operation.

After calibration, a Profile Overview allows you to view your display’s gamut and compare it to industry standards or profiles you previously made. Moreover, if you leave the calibration tool plugged in, the sensor can detect changes in the ambient light and adjust the screen brightness to compensate for that.

Another neat feature is Check-CAL. This quickly checks the screen’s calibration to see if it is still valid or if you need to recalibrate it. However, each of my screens takes around 90 seconds to calibrate, so it’s not as long-winded a task—I just recalibrate instead.

There is also a facility to check the brightness at different regions of your screen. You do this by placing the SpyderPro in various positions on the screen. My PC is at floor level on my right, and I use two monitors. My desk height adjusts so I can work at it standing. This is farther than most people would have their computer from their screens. The SpyderPro’s cable is just long enough to place the Spyder almost in the middle of the left-hand screen with the desk in the standing configuration, but not at the base of the screen unless I lower my desk to its sitting height, when the cable is more than long enough.

The lens-based tool makes the calibration far more accurate than older iterations. I compared a proof copy of an image with a print, and it was spot on. I guess that is what one is looking for when screen calibrating.

What I Liked and What Can Be Improved

What I liked

  • Robustly made; it survived me accidentally dropping it from my desk.
  • Fast calibration
  • Accurate
  • Constant checking of light levels
  • Easy to use

What Could Be Improved Next Time

  • An extra 10 cm of cable would be handy for my extreme monitor-to-PC distance.
  • If you accidentally switch the screen off and back on when adjusting its brightness during calibration, the software falls into a looping crash that requires the process to be stopped in the task manager. This is due to user error, and I managed to err twice.

Specifications

What's in the Box

  • Spyder X sensor, Welcome Card with link to software download and warranty information, unique serial number to activate software, link to online demonstrations, user guide, videos, and support

System Requirements

  • Windows 10 32/64, Windows 11, Mac OS X 10.10 and above
  • Monitor resolution 1280×768 or greater, 16-bit video card (24-bit recommended),
  • 1 GB of available RAM, 500 MB of available hard disk
  • Internet connection for software download

Supported Languages

  • English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Russian, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Korean

Supported Display Technologies

  • Supports most modern display types

Supported USB Protocols

  • USB 1.1, USB 2.x, and USB 3.x
  • USB-C plug, also compatible with USB using a USB-C-A adaptor

Other Specifications

  • Max luminance: 2,000 nits
  • Backlight types: Wide LED, Standard LED, General (Wide and Standard CCFL), GB LED, High Brightness, OLED, Mini LED
  • High brightness calibration
  • Projector calibration
  • Gamma curve settings: Unlimited
  • Whitepoint settings: Unlimited
  • Brightness settings: Unlimited
  • Display Analysis/MQA: Elite/Full
  • Number of displays supported: Unlimited
  • Supported languages: English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Russian, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and Korean
  • Environmental certifications: CSA, C-Tick, CE
  • Operating temperature: 41 to 104°F / 5 to 40°C
  • Operating humidity: 80%
  • Physical color: White
  • Dimensions: 3" x 3" x 1.75" (7.6 cm x 7.6 cm x 4.45 cm)
  • Weight: 0.32 lb / 0.15 kg
  • Package weight: 0.635 lb
  • Box dimensions (LxWxH): 5.4" x 4.8" x 2.7"

In Conclusion

The SpyderPro has come a long way over the last few years. It is a quick and simple way to calibrate your screen, and the results are accurate; I found my different brands of 1080p and 2K screens matched in brightness and color after calibration, and the results of prints matched the proofing.

Of course, there is no guarantee that those you share your pictures with have calibrated monitors. But at least you will have the satisfaction of seeing the tones and colors you intended. Moreover, for ensuring your printing results are accurate and that your multiple screens match, the SpyderPro is a device worth your consideration.

This is a relatively minor upgrade from the Spyder X2 Ultra I reviewed about a year ago, which is still available, and unless you use one of the screen types that has been added to this version, it might not be worth the investment. However, if you do not yet calibrate your screen with a lens-based tool—and it is something that every serious photographer should consider—then you won't go far wrong with this.

The Datacolor SpyderPro retails at $269.

Other Spyder products are available online at different price points.

Ivor Rackham's picture

A professional photographer, website developer, and writer, Ivor lives in the North East of England. His main work is training others in photography. He has a special interest in supporting people with their mental well-being. In 2023 he accepted becoming a brand ambassador for the OM System.

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1 Comment

I own one of these and actually disagree that they are a must-have for most photographers. I'd only argue that they are a "must-have" if you typically intend to print your work, which most photographers simply don't do anymore.

The reason is that you can't control the calibration of the display that people view your work on, so having a calibrated screen to edit on is irrelevant. If anything, the best tool you have to "preview" how something will look on users displays is to leave your displays factory calibrated.